


You had me at health insurance

by vanjie_love



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: Chronic Illness, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Lesbian Character, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:34:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25638121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanjie_love/pseuds/vanjie_love
Summary: “You good blondie? Ya seem outta sorts.”“I-I’m good, I’m about to propose to my girlfriend. I’m headed down to the cafe.”Vanessa thinks for a minute. That’s kind of strange. She’s going to propose to her girlfriend….in the hospital….wearing a hospital robe? Vanessa isn’t one to judge so she just murmurs a soft congratulations and then when the elevator arrives, she says good luck.“Thanks,” the blonde smiles shyly.What a shame, Vanessa thinks, she’s very pretty.
Relationships: Brooke Lynn Hytes/Vanessa Vanjie Mateo
Comments: 87
Kudos: 68





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> so maybe my inspiration is a plot line from Grey's Anatomy...with some twists...will it end the same way? Who knows.

Vanessa never really considered herself a  _ rule breaker _ , but she didn’t always follow them to a  _ T.  _ She knew there was a line and when to cross it. So when she considered playing the law for a stranger, she surprised herself.

Vanessa arrived at the hospital at half past noon. Her little sister Leah had just had a baby and she couldn’t wait to snuggle and love on her. She stopped in the gift shop, picked up some pink balloons, and headed towards the elevator. Standing and waiting for an elevator was a pretty blonde in a hospital robe. 

“Going up?” Vanessa asked.

The blonde just shook her head, she seemed nervous.

“You good blondie? Ya seem outta sorts.”

“I-I’m good, I’m about to propose to my girlfriend. I’m headed down to the cafe.” 

Vanessa thinks for a minute. That’s kind of strange. She’s going to propose to her girlfriend….in the hospital….wearing a hospital robe? Vanessa isn’t one to judge so she just murmurs a soft  _ congratulations  _ and then when the elevator arrives, she says good luck.

“Thanks,” the blonde smiles shyly.

_ What a shame, _ Vanessa thinks,  _ she’s very pretty. _

Brooke Lynn always  _ was  _ a rule follower. She never considered breaking the rules for anything. However, desperate times call for desperate measures.

Brooke was a complicated child, but not in the way most think. She was chronically ill and was in the hospital frequently. Her condition was complicated, and it involved a lot of procedures and at the time she didn’t understand. Now that she’s older she knows what it means, and it means a life of going job to job, maxing out credit cards, it means not having friends, and just not having a normal life. Oh, she wanted a normal life so bad. She never stayed at one job long enough to have friends because she was always missing work. She was always the “new girl”.

Now, Brooke was about to be kicked off her insurance policy, right when she was in need of a new heart. 

“Oh, Leah, she’s so beautiful.” Vanessa smiled at her little sister, and her heart ached. 

Her sister was 23, and she had the life that Vanessa probably would never have at 26. Doting spouse, and now perfect baby girl. Most of her friends were married as well. She can’t help but let her mind wander to the pretty girl standing outside of the elevator. She stood there in a hospital gown and she was going to get engaged today. That was love. 

“Hi little Lola,” Vanessa whispered, “I’m Aunt Nessa, I’m gonna teach you curse words and buy your first case of beer.”

Vanessa sends a mischievous grin to her sister, who just shakes her head, too tired to do anything else. Vanessa bounces around the room, switching between soft whispers and coos to the newborn in her arms. She glances back to the bed where Leah was laying, head tilted to the side, eyes closed and her breathing even. 

_ Good, _ Vanessa thought,  _ she needs rest.  _

But as if it was on cue, Little Lola’s face scrunched up in the cutest way and she let out the loudest cry. Vanessa tried to bounce her and shush her with no success, and Leah woke with a start. She sat straight up in bed and instinctively started to pull her tank top strap down so she could feed her little girl. 

“I’m sorry, sis, I tried to let you rest.”

“It’s fine, Ness.” Leah gave a tired smile as she took the baby from her sister and positioned her in her arms so she could latch, “hey you don’t have to stick around, Eathan will be here soon.”

“You sure? You can rest more?”

Leah shook her head, “nah I’m good, little power nap was all I needed.” 

Vanessa nodded, kissed her baby sister on the top of the head, and grabbed her bag to leave.

Vanessa stepped off of the elevator in the main lobby and glanced to her left. The blonde from earlier sat in one of the armchairs looking distraught. 

“Hey Blondie, how’d it go?”

The blonde looked up at Vanessa, eyes red, and wiped away a tear, “she said no.”

Vanessa’s heart hurt for the poor girl with sad eyes. 

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Vanessa sat down in the chair next to the girl.

“It’s okay. I loved her but it wasn’t exactly innocent intentions.”

Vanessa raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“It’s a long story.”

“Well I got time, wanna go get somethin’ to eat?”

The girl gave a shy smile and nodded, “yeah let’s go.”

Brooke’s not sure what it was about the brunette that made her want to tell her what was going on, but she did it anyway. She sat at the table, fruit bowl in front of her, while the brunette looked at her with big brown doe eyes.

“So what’s the tea, Mary?” the girl said.

Brooke laughed, “My name is Brooke Lynn.”

“Brooke Lynn. Brooke Lynn.” Vanessa said it a few times and Brooke liked the way that it sounded. 

“I’m Vanessa.” Vanessa smiled, “well Miss Brooke Lynn, what happened with ya woman?”

Brooke looked down at the table, “she knew I was only proposing to her because I need insurance coverage.”

“Oh,” Vanessa wasn’t quite sure what to say. 

“I have a bad heart, and I’ve been really ill over the years. Turns out when you’re in and out of the hospital, it’s difficult for employers to keep you, you know, employed.” Brooke Lynn’s voice was sour, “no job, no family, no friends. That’s my life.”

Vanessa felt bad for her. 

“Anyways, I have a couple procedures coming up soon and to be quite honest, I’m not sure how I’m going to make it work.”

Vanessa’s brain ran a hundred miles per minute until it abruptly stopped and one idea popped up.

_ I have really good insurance. _

She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it. She didn’t want to seem weird. 

“What type of surgery do you need to have?”

“I have to have a mass removed from my kidney.” Brooke said quietly.

“Will you die if you don’t?”

“Eventually, yeah. I’m being discharged this afternoon unless I come up with a solution.”

They finished their lunch in silence, Vanessa really not knowing what to say. When they went to depart, Vanessa grabbed a napkin and wrote her number down.

“You know, in case you need a friend.”

Brooke smiled and accepted it. Immediately she sent Vanessa a text so the other girl had her number, and they went separate ways.

  
  


Vanessa laid in bed that night thinking of Brooke. She thought of how much time the other girl had, and it made her sad. The Healthcare system sucks, and poor Brooke Lynn was going to get the short end of the stick. Vanessa sat up straight in bed as a thought from earlier popped back to her head. She works for a law firm and she makes good money and she has amazing insurance. What if she married Brooke? Then she can put her on her policy and the other girl could get the procedures she needed. 

Vanessa grabbed her phone and dialed Brooke's number. 

"Hello?"

"Hey Brooke Lynn, it's Vanessa. From the hospital. Remember me?"

Brooke laughed, "yes I remember. Not too many pretty girls give me their numbers when I'm wearing a hospital robe and slipper socks."

Vanessa laughed too, and she felt her cheeks heat up.

"I had an idea," Vanessa started, "what if I marry you?"

There was silence on the other end as Brooke digested what Vanessa said. 

"Vanessa, I- I can't ask you to do that." 

"You ain't askin me, mami, I'm offerin. I make good money, and I have good insurance. It wouldn't even need to be anythin more than a piece of paper."

Brooke wanted to say yes, she wanted her surgery, and she wanted to be healthy. 

So she said yes.


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The doctors told her it would be close to a five hour surgery, so when the head of Brooke's case came out after 3 hours, concern raced through her body. 
> 
> "Family for Hytes?" He calls. 
> 
> Vanessa stands up and walks towards the doctor. 
> 
> "That's me, doc."
> 
> "You're her wife?"
> 
> Vanessa nods. 
> 
> "We have run into an issue"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited for the feedback I've been getting on this. This chapter is pretty close to what actually happens on the show, I'm hoping to make it different as we go on.   
> Enjoy!

"So, this will be  _ strictly  _ on paper." Brooke said, signing her name on the marriage certificate. 

They decided to just get it done and over with as Brooke needed her surgery as soon as possible. 

"I don't want you to feel obligated to…" she trailed off.

"To care?" Vanessa raised an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah."

"Mary, I ain't gonna feel obligata to do nothin!"

Brooke snorted a laugh, she had learned that Vanessa got stuck on words sometimes and it was cute.

"Ima care because that's just how I am, you my friend now."

Warmth spread through Brooke's chest. She never really had friends. It was hard when she was in and out of the hospital. 

She wasn't always lonely. She used to have a lot of friends who would visit. But then they stopped, one by one. Kameron said her job got busier. Detox moved away. Nina met Monet and now her days were filled with Monet and her daughter Ellie. Brooke didn't blame them, though. She was sure that being near someone who was sick all the time was exhausting. But Brooke was still lonely. 

"Ok, friend, ready to become my wife?" Brooke grinned.

~*~

Vanessa got the paperwork from her insurance company the following day. She just needed to fill out the proper paperwork and then they could get Brooke's surgery scheduled. From the "proposal" to Brooke being insured was quicker than both girls imagined and Brooke was scheduled for surgery in a week. 

Brooke was nervous. She's had many surgeries, but this one feels scarier, she's not sure why. 

"V, you really don't have to be here today." Brooke said, mainly trying to make conversation to take her mind off of the needle that was about to go into her arm. 

"Why wouldn't I be here, Mary?" Vanessa raised an eyebrow, "my wife is havin surgery."

Brooke smiled. She was really fond of Vanessa, but they were friends, and that's all. That's all Brooke could allow them to be, because what if she died? The thought scared her. 

The time came for Vanessa to go to the waiting room so they could finish prepping Brooke and get her to the OR. Butterflies fluttered in Vanessa’s stomach as she gave her friend's hand a squeeze and headed towards the door. 

Vanessa tried to read, she tried to play Candy Crush, even though she has been stuck on level 286 for two weeks, and she tried to nap, but nothing occupied her mind. She knew Brooke was a pro at operations, but she was still nervous. 

The doctors told her it would be close to a five hour surgery, so when the head of Brooke's case came out after 3 hours, concern raced through her body. 

"Family for Hytes?" He calls. 

Vanessa stands up and walks towards the doctor. 

"That's me, doc."

"You're her wife?"

Vanessa nods. 

"We have run into an issue, the mass on her kidney has grown into her pancreas, and as a result of that, we need to remove a large portion of it."

"Ok, so do it?" 

"We need to know if you think she would be able to handle being a diabetic."

Vanessa's words are caught in her throat. Vanessa didn't understand many medical terms but she knew that diabetes was serious. 

"I- um- I think so? I ain't quite sure doc."

The doctor raised an eyebrow at Vanessa.

"You're her wife?"

"Yes, right, okay. Uh, just do what you see fit, doc. I want her alive and as healthy as possible."

The doctor nodded and turned to go back to the OR. Now Vanessa didn’t know how long it was going to be. 

_ Shit.  _ She hoped she made the right decision. The problem was she just didn't  _ know  _ Brooke. What if she hated her?

Vanessa paced by the window in the waiting room. She sat and tried to read again. She walked to the café to get a coffee. Nothing helped keep her mind busy. 

Finally, after six and a half hours, the doctor returned to the now empty- except for Vanessa- waiting room. 

"Mrs. Hytes?" 

Vanessa nodded, not even having the energy to correct him as they didn't change their names. 

"Brooke Lynn is out of surgery, and we are confident we got all of the mass. We had to remove a large portion of her pancreas, which means she will be dependent on insulin, but people live like that everyday. She will need to meet with a dietician but other than that, she will be able to go home in a few days."

Vanessa nodded, "thank you, doc."

"You can see her now but she is very groggy."

Vanessa nods and follows the doctor to Brooke's room. Brooke looked tiny in the bed. She laid there staring at the ceiling, mumbling to herself. 

"One two three turn, four five six kick.."

"Brooke?" Vanessa said softly, "how are you feeling?"

Brooke turned her head, "hi, Nessa."

Brooke gave her a dopey smile, and Vanessa's heart melted at the nickname. 

"How you feelin, boo?"

"Tired, I had a five hour rehearsal today."

Vanessa wanted to laugh, she wondered what the rehearsal was for. 

"Yeah, and how did that go?"

"Stressful, I  _ have  _ to learn this dance by Friday." Ok so Brooke was a dancer, "You're so beautiful, Nessa, I wish we were married for real!" 

Vanessa's face turned red, she knew it was the drugs talking, but it made her smile. 

"I think you need some sleep, Brookie, sleep them good drugs off."

Brooke's face turned sad, "are you leavin?" She pouted.

"No, I'll stay."

She needed to be here when they explained what happened in the surgery. 

"Okay, Nessa." Brooke gave another dopey smile and laid back in the bed, and within moments her breathing evened out and she was fast asleep.

~*~

The surgeon came in bright and early the next morning to talk to Brooke. She seemed to take the news well.

"I already have a pretty healthy diet, now I just have to add in shots. I'll be fine." Brooke reassured. 

Vanessa trusted her, and within a few days, Brooke had been released. 

Vanessa checked on Brooke everyday, stopping by on her way home from the office. She made sure to bring some snacks each day for Brooke to put in her cupboards, for when her sugar got too low. It was a learning experience, but Brooke was working it out. There were a lot of feelings going on in Brooke’s head. She actually really liked Vanessa, probably in a more than friendly way and she didn't know how to tell her as it wasn't a part of their deal.

"So how was your day?" Vanessa asks. 

"It was really good. I watched some Netflix, took a nap, watched more Netflix, and took a shower. I wanted to take a bath but my incision…" Brooke trailed off.

"Sounds eventful." Vanessa smiled. 

"It wasn't bad. Hey I was wondering if you wanted to come over on Saturday to have a movie night?"

"I can't. I, um, have a date."

Brooke's brain froze for a moment. 

"But I can come over Friday!" Vanessa said quickly. 

"Oh, sure. That will work."

"Well I gotta get goin, the dog don't walk himself, although I wish he would."

Brooke gave the best smile that she could and walked Vanessa to the door. They shared a hug and Vanessa started towards her car, leaving Brooke to kick herself for being so stupid. 


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hmmm....

The minute Vanessa mentioned her date, she really wished she hadn’t. She saw a look of- something- pass over Brooke’s face, she just wasn’t quite sure what it was. It left a sharp feeling in her chest. So she left with promises of a movie night on Friday, and the whole way home she thought about the look in Brooke’s eyes and what it could mean.

~*~

Brooke battled with herself over the next couple of days. Did she like Vanessa because they were married? Or were her feelings real? She didn’t know, but she was adamant to not let it hinder their relationship- whatever type of relationship it was. 

When Friday rolled around, Brooke was excited all day for Vanessa to show up.

“Hey, B, what kinda pizza do ya want?” Vanessa called from the couch. 

She had just arrived for their movie night and was making herself comfortable on the couch while Brooke made popcorn.

“Hawaiian?” Brooke yelled back.

“Ew, really? That’s gross. Also, don’t know if that’s good for ya.” Vanessa looks up online what kind of pizza is best for diabetics, “Google says you should eat veggies, you rabbit.”

Brooke walks into the room with a bowl of popcorn and sits down on the couch, pouting.

“Firstly,” she says, “why are you hating on hawaiian pizza? Secondly, I’m not a rabbit.”

“Baby all you eat is greens, of course you a rabbit.” Vanessa laughed and then noticed what she said when Brooke’s face turned light pink. 

_ Baby,  _ normally used as a pet name for romantically involved couples, but Vanessa always just uses it for her friends. She was very fond of Brooke. They had been spending a lot of time together, and,  _ yes _ , technically they were married, but it was just on paper. Vanessa didn’t even know if she liked the other girl like that. If she figured out that she did, she didn’t want to freak Brooke out. So it was just better to leave things platonic.

“So what movie did you pick?” Vanessa asked, breaking the loud silence that had fallen between them.

“Um,  _ Titanic. _ ” 

“Really, Mary? You think my ADD ass can sit through that long ass movie? Bitch, I can barely make it through  _ Sesame Street _ !”

Brooke let out a snorting laugh, “then why did you agree to a movie night?”

“Because we friends and I didn’t want you to be lonely!” Vanessa pretended to be offended.

_ Friends.  _ Brooke thought to herself. Well that settled that. She needed to stomp down whatever feelings that were growing for the other girl immediately. Otherwise, she was going to get hurt. 

“Can we  _ please  _ watch  _ Titanic _ ?” Brooke pouts again, “it’s my favorite.”

“Fine but I don’t know if I’ll make it.” Vanessa laughs. 

Vanessa lasts longer than they both expected. The ship hit the iceberg and Brooke looked to Vanessa for a reaction, but all she saw was the girl fast asleep. Brooke started to adjust herself on the couch when Vanessa slumped toward her and landed with her head in Brooke’s lap.

_ Convenient. _ Brooke thought to herself,  _ just as I was trying to talk down my feelings. _

Brooke tried to focus on the rest of the movie and not the pretty girl who was technically her wife who had her head in her lap, and she did a pretty good job, if she does say so herself. The end credits rolled and it was a little after 12am. 

“Vanessa,” Brooke shakes Vanessa’s shoulder a little, “Vanessa, the movie is over.”

Vanessa groaned and nuzzled into Brooke’s lap a little more before opening her eyes and freezing. It took her a second to figure out where she was. 

“Movie over?” she grumbled. 

Brooke stifled a giggle, “yeah, the movie is over.”

Vanessa yawned and looked at the time, “well I’d hate to run off, but it’s late for me, Mary. Do you need anything?”

Brooke shook her head, and Vanessa got up. Brooke walked her to the door and they said their goodbyes, and Brooke went to bed, her lap still warm from the weight of the smaller girl.

~*~

Vanessa was getting less and less excited for her date as the day went on, and by the time that her date picked her up, she didn’t want to go anymore. She didn’t know why she felt this way. She’s been on dates with Aquaria before. She really liked her, but tonight, something was different. The movie they saw was so boring, Vanessa didn’t even know what it was about. Their dinner was quiet as Vanessa picked at her food. Aquaria didn’t notice. She wasn’t very observant. Vanessa was looking at the dessert menu, thinking about something sweet she could take to Brooke to keep in her fridge in case her sugar drops too low, when Aquaria calling her name pulls her back to Earth.

“Vanessa, your phone is ringing!” Aquaria sounded annoyed.

“Oh,” Vanessa pulled her phone out of her purse and panicked when she recognized the hospital’s phone number, “hello?”

“Hello, this is Dr. Patterson, is this Mrs. Hytes?”

“Um, yeah, what’s up?”

“We have your wife here, she passed out and hit her head during a hypoglycemic attack.”

“A hypo-what?” Vanessa was confused.

“Her sugar got too low and she passed out. She hit her head on the way down. She’s fine, she needs stitches and we are keeping her overnight, but she will be released in the morning.”

Vanessa’s blood ran cold.  _ Brooke was hurt.  _

“Ok, I’ll be right there.” She said and before the doc could reply, she hung up, “Aquaria, I gotta go.” Vanessa threw some cash down, gave Aquaria a quick peck on the cheek, and left without another word.

She sped to the hospital. It was only 5 minutes away, but she sped there, her mind raced. Brooke was hurt. She fell and she was hurt, and she needs stitches. Vanessa felt sick. What the hell was happening?

She ran through the doors to the ER and told the receptionist Brooke’s name. 

“Room 6.”

Vanessa headed down the hall and looked for room 6. When she found it, her heart sped up. 

“B!” she said, looking at the other girl who was lying in the bed. 

Her head was all bandaged up with blood seeping through.

“B, what happened?” Vanessa’s voice was frantic. 

“I fell.” Brooke said quietly, cheeks turning pink, “I didn’t eat much dinner and I overcalculated my insulin and I fell.”

“Oh, Brooke, you can’t do that. Scared me half to death when I got the call.”

Brooke mumbled a quiet sorry and Vanessa returned it with an  _ it’s okay. _

Vanessa watched as they stitched Brooke up. She just kept thinking.  _ Something  _ was different about her feelings towards Brooke. She wasn’t quite sure what.

“Good as new.” The doctor said, slipping off his exam gloves, “they’ll be here soon to take you up for observation.”

Both girls nodded and thanked the doctor as he left.

“Vanessa, you don’t have to stay.”

“I know that. But maybe I want to.” Vanessa punctuated it with a yawn.

“See? You’re tired. You should go rest. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?” Brooke noded, “100% sure?” Brooke nodded again, “10000% sure?” 

Vanessa laughed, and Brooke nodded again.

“Okay, I’ll go home, but you call me if anythin happens and I’ll be here like lightnin.”

Brooke smiled and Vanessa never wanted to see anything else. 

All she could think as she drove home was how beautiful Brooke looked when she smiled. Oh, and how she was truly and utterly fucked.


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I like you." Vanessa whispered, hoping that saying it out loud, even if it's just a whisper, might help. 
> 
> But it doesn't.

Vanessa never really considered her coworkers  _ friends.  _ Sure, they were friendly, but there’s a difference between friendly and friends. She worked as an assistant to one of the partners at a law firm downtown. Because of this, she knew that what she had done for Brooke was wrong so she opted to not tell them about it. But then her boss Ms. Visage found the paperwork for Brooke’s insurance coverage on her desk. Vanessa didn’t know that her boss would be notified, but she guessed it made sense. 

“Vanessa, can I see you in my office please?” Ms. Visage said one afternoon.

Nervous, Vanessa nodded and stood up. She sat in the soft hair across from Ms. Visage’s desk. 

She couldn’t figure out if the woman was upset, so she sat and waited for her to start talking.

“Vanessa, I was sent a copy of this paperwork,” Ms. Visage gestures to the stack of papers on the desk, and at closer examination, Vanessa recognizes them as her insurance paperwork, “you got married and you didn’t tell anyone?”

Vanessa shakes her head slowly.

“Honey, that’s a big deal. We would have been able to congratulate you, throw you a party or something.”

Relief settles in Vanessa’s stomach. 

"Oh, um, well it was a small, private ceremony." Vanessa keeps her voice even, because if a bunch of lawyers find out she married someone so they could get health insurance, it just might not end well. 

"You have to let us throw you a party to celebrate."

"Oh that's not necessary, ma'am."

"Nonsense, let us do this for you. We are a family. Plus, we will get to meet your lucky spouse."

Vanessa thought about it for a minute.

"Vanessa, please, it'll be fun."

Vanessa knew Ms. Visage wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Alright, that's very nice of you, ma'am. I'm sure my wife would love to."

_ Shit.  _

_ ~*~ _

"Pick up the phone, B." Vanessa muttered.

She had just left work and she was panicked. 

_ "You've reached Brooke Lynn-" _

The voice-mail recording was cut off when Vanessa hit end on the call. Where was Brooke? This concerned her, so she pulled into the nearest drive way, turned around, and headed to Brooke's, her heart pounding in her throat. 

"Brooke?!" Vanessa's loud voice rang throughout Brooke's apartment.

Her keys and shoes were still by the door, so maybe she was having a bath or something. Vanessa checked all of the rooms and ended in Brooke's bedroom where she found the blonde curled up in bed, her cats laying on either side of her, all three of them fast asleep. It was the cutest sight Vanessa has ever seen. 

"Brooke," Vanessa called, loud enough to hopefully wake the girl up but not too loud as to scare her, "Brooke, it's Vanessa."

Brooke's eyes fluttered, and she groaned as she adjusted to the light. 

"Hey sleepin beauty," Vanessa giggled. 

"Hey Ness."

Brooke's sleepy voice was so cute it made Vanessa's heart skip. 

"I tried callin, got worried when ya didn't answer. Whatcha been doin here?"

"I didn't sleep well last night so I laid down for a short nap, what time is it?"

"5:30."

"Shit I've been asleep for four hours."

"You musta really needed it, blondie." Vanessa remembers the news she has for the other girl, "I have a problem. My boss found the papers from me puttin you on my insurance and she half scolded me for not tellin her I got married. Not like an I'm in trouble kinda way but they wanna throw us a party."

"Really?" Brooke sat up, "a party?"

Vanessa nods. 

"That could be fun right? And I mean, I'd hate for you to get found out at your job. When is it?"

"Saturday." Vanessa bit her lip. 

"That's in two days," Brooke points out.

"I know."

"Alright, let's do it." Brooke says after a minute and Vanessa breathes a sigh of relief. 

~*~

"You nervous?" Vanessa asked as they pulled up to Ms. Visage’s house. 

"A bit." Brooke said, she felt anxiety in her chest, but it slowed when Vanessa reached over and squeezed her hand and smiled. Now she had a different kind of butterflies. 

Brooke wishes she could just tell her. But she can't. Not when Vanessa wants to just be friends.

"It's gonna be all good. Let's go." 

Ms. Visage, Michelle, had decorated her living room with bows and streamers and a big banner that said CONGRATULATIONS! Vanessa was touched. 

"Michelle, it's beautiful in here!"

Michelle had always been so kind to Vanessa, treated her like family. 

"Michelle, this is my wife, Brooke."

"Hi, Brooke, it's so nice to meet you!"

"Likewise, ma'am." Brooke smiled and wrapped her arm around Vanessa’s waist. 

Time to sell it. 

"So Brooke, how did you and Vanessa meet?" Plastique, one of the other assistants asked. 

Brooke felt completely confident in her choice of answers, and luckily, she and Vanessa had discussed it. 

"At the library," she said, voice unwavering, "in the fantasy section."

"Cute," said Scarlet, who sat next to Plastique.

"Why didn't we ever hear about you?" The girl next to Vanessa asked. 

Yvie? Brooke thinks.

"I'm just real private, Yvie. You know that." Vanessa wanted to change the subject. 

"Glass of wine, Brooke?" Michelle asked.

"No, no thank you. I don't drink."

"More for me then!" One of the girls, Silky, laughed. Brooke has heard the most about her. Vanessa likes her. 

"Would you like dessert?" Michelle asks as the table is cleared, "I had a cake made."

"I can have a small piece, right?" Brooke asked Vanessa quietly. 

"Yes, just make sure to check your sugar when you get home."

Brooke nods and accepts a small corner piece, and it was the best cake she's had. 

"Michelle, thank you again for this, it was real nice." Vanessa said as Brooke was being hugged goodbye. 

"I'm so glad you agreed to it."

Vanessa nodded, thanked her again, and then they headed off to Brooke's. 

  
  


Vanessa felt herself fall a little harder when she glanced to the passenger seat to see Brooke fast asleep.

"I like you." Vanessa whispered, hoping that saying it out loud, even if it's just a whisper, might help. 

But it doesn't.


	5. Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanessa tells her friends what is going on and Brooke surprises her with a bomb of news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got about two chapters left planned that I think I'm going to do. But we will see. Thank you everyone for the incredible feedback. You're all amazing

Vanessa was fucked, like thoroughly fucked. She was falling in love with Brooke and she didn't know how to tell her. 

Correction- she  _ couldn't  _ tell her. They had such a good thing going and Brooke only liked her as a friend. 

_ Right?  _ Vanessa would ask herself only to come to the conclusion that Brooke would tell her if she wanted her like that.

Lately, though, Brooke has been using a lot of platonic "pet" names for her, like pal, friend, buddy, so Vanessa just knew that the other girl didn’t like her like that.

"I dunno what I'm gonna do!"

Vanessa had called an emergency Dream Girls meeting, feeling like it was time to tell them why she had done what she did. It was the day after the dinner at Ms. Visage’s house. Vanessa had avoided Silky before the party, she hadn’t even told her best friends what she had done so for Silky to find out from coworkers that Vanessa had gotten married, well it started a shitstorm. They sat in Vanessa’s living room, A’keria sitting next to Vanessa while Silky sat on the other side of the room, clearly holding a grudge. 

“What do ya mean, Vanj?” 

“You gonna kill me.” Vanessa said softly.

“If she don’t, I will.” Silky scowled.

Vanessa deserved that.

“Miss Vanjie, what the hell did you do, girl? You scarin’ me!”

“This ho got married and didn’t even tell us!” 

“You what?!” A’keria yelled.

“I got married, Kiki, but I promise, it ain’t what you think!”

“Ain’t what we think? Vanj, you got married to a tall, sex on legs blonde and you didn’t tell your best friends you were even dating someone!”

“That’s because I wasn’t datin’ anyone, Silky, I said it ain’t what you think!” 

A’keria has been silent this whole time, and to Vanessa, that’s scarier than Silky’s yelling.

“It was for a good cause!” Vanessa added.

“A good cause for what? Your sex life?” Silky rolled her eyes.

“Really Silk? We ain’t even had sex!”

“You been married and you ain’t even had sex with them,” A’keria finally piped up, “that ain’t like you, Vanjie. Explain.”

“Silky, if you tell  _ anyone  _ at the office, and I mean  _ anyone _ , I will skin you alive,” fire lit behind Vanessa’s eyes telling the other two that she was serious, “I met Brooke when Leah had her baby. She was a patient at the hospital and needed a serious surgery, but she didn’t have no insurance, so I married her and put her on my plan.”

Silky and A’keria sat in silence, completely dumbfounded.

“Vanjie, that’s fraud.” A’keria finally said. 

“I know.” Vanessa avoided their eyes.

“No wonder you ain’t tell nobody at work.”

Vanessa gave a small smile, “she really needed me. She got no friends, no family. I’m all she got now.”

“What happens when you meet someone you wanna marry for real?”

Vanessa hadn’t thought about that, mainly because of her developing feelings for Brooke.

“Funny you should mention that.” Vanessa’s face turned red, “that’s what I wanted to talk to ya’ll about today. I think I’m falling in love with my wife.”

The words that came out of her mouth were so absurd, she had no choice but to laugh, and after a minute, the other two joined in.

“Well then, V, wouldn’t that be wild if she was your soulmate?” A’keria asked.

“Yeah, but she don’t feel the same about me.”

“What makes you say that?”Silky was sceptical, “I saw the way she looked at you at Michelle’s. I think she likes you.”

“Oh whatever, Silk, there ain’t no clues, she act like we just friends!”

“Well, maybe she’s nervous just like you are.” A’keria said, she always was the wiser one, “maybe you should tell her how ya feel?”

“What if she don’t like me? It would fuck up everything, Kiki. Our whole arrangement could be ruined. We said this was going to be strictly on paper and I had to go fuck it up and catch feelings.”   
“Vanjie, you’ll never know until you’re honest with her.” this time, Silky spoke. 

Vanessa supposed they were right. She needed to tell Brooke, and she’d do it tonight.

  
  


Brooke decided she was done sulking, done feeling sad about someone who would never be hers, so she went to the bookstore. She decided that the only thing that would cheer her up is a nice, new book. 

She was browsing the section of thrillers when she saw her. She was tall and beautiful, with blonde hair curled and swept to the side. Brooke’s mouth ran dry. Normally she wouldn’t be the one to make the first move, but she couldn’t pass this opportunity up.

“Stephen King, huh?” Brooke asks softly, trying not to startle the girl.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I need a new book and I don’t think I’ve read this one yet.”

“Hmm.  _ Finders Keepers.  _ It’s good, fairly new, but I like his early stuff better. Nothing beats  _ The Shining.  _ All time favorite!”

“Oh absolutely. I’ve read it five, maybe six times.” 

Impressive.

“My name is Brooke Lynn.” Brooke says, extending her hand to the other girl.

She looks at it for a minute, as if deciding whether or not it’s safe to shake her hand, but decides it’s ok and after a few seconds pass, they shake.

“Pearl.”

“Would you like to grab coffee sometime?” Brooke had confidence and she wasn’t sure where it was coming from, “we can discuss your thoughts on this book maybe?”

“Yeah, I’d like that. Let me give you my number.”

Brooke smiles and hands Pearl her phone. Pearl finishes and hands it back and they depart with promises of getting in touch later. 

Brooke leaves without buying anything, and she smiles the whole way to her car.

Brooke is sitting on her couch when she gets a text from Vanessa. 

**_V:_ ** _ Hey B, you home? _

**_B:_ ** _ Yeah, what’s up? _ _  
_ **_V:_ ** _ I’m comin over. _

Twenty minutes later there was a knock on the door. Brooke opened the door, revealing a nervous looking Vanessa on the other side.

“Hey, what’s up?” Brooke moved to the side, letting the other girl into her home. 

“Oh, just wanted to see you. How was your day?” Vanessa asked, she sat making herself at home while Apollo, Brooke’s cat, hopped up onto her lap. The site was the cutest thing Brooke’s ever seen.

“It was good. Great, even. I met someone at the bookstore.”

Vanessa felt her stomach drop.

“Oh?” She tried to sound positive, happy for her  _ friend.  _

“Her name is Pearl. We are getting coffee on Friday.”

“That’s- wonderful, B.” Vanessa tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice. 

“Yeah, how about you? How was your day?”

“I hung out with my girls, had some things to discuss. Kiki wants to meet you, said we should get dinner soon, whatcha think?”

“Yeah, absolutely! Saturday night?”

Vanessa nodded, “I’m gonna go, I’ll text you ‘bout Saturday.”

Without so much as a goodbye, Vanessa was out the door. 

The energy that was left in the room was something that made Brooke feel uneasy. She wasn’t sure what it was, but Brooke was certain that her friend wasn’t as happy for her as she wanted her to be.


	6. Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “No, I’m not mad at you. Damnit Brooke, I wish I could be mad at you! I wish I could hate you!”
> 
> Tears formed in Vaenssa’s eyes, stinging and threatening to fall. At the same time, the dizziness was back. Brooke tried to focus on Vanessa, tried to ground herself, but darkness was threatening around her vision.
> 
> “Brooke! Are you listening to me?!” Vanessa’s voice was louder, and the tears were falling. Brooke tried to reach out to comfort her but her body felt like it was made of lead. The darkness consumed her and the last thing she saw was Vanessa’s scared face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I originally added the beginning of this chapter to the end of the old chapter and then I changed my mind lol. The last chapter in this will be a kind of epilogue. I've enjoyed writing this and I'm so glad so many people have enjoyed reading it. Thank you to everyone who has commented and encouraged me. You rock.

Vanessa felt stupid. How could she possibly have allowed herself to develop feelings for Brooke? She tried to stop it, but she couldn’t help it. Everytime Brooke would look at her a certain way, or smile at her so brightly, she’d fall a little more. This was such a shitty situation. She didn’t know what to do. They needed each other, it was just in different ways.

Brooke felt sad. She liked Vanessa so much and wanted her approval. So when she told Vanessa about Pearl, and her reaction was less than excited, it hurt Brooke. It didn’t help that her date with Pearl was so boring! She wanted it to be exciting so she could flaunt it around the other girl. Yeah, that was petty of her, but if Vanessa couldn’t be happy for her, then this is what had to happen. That plan backfired when literally the most interesting thing to happen on her date was Pearl almost falling over the threshold of the door. Brooke had to hold back her laughter as she helped the other girl steady herself.

The date wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great. Pearl was nice, but she didn’t talk much. She was pretty, but she just wasn’t as interesting as Brooke thought she would be.

When Saturday rolled around, Brooke was prepared to talk about how amazing the date was, about how her and Pearl really hit it off. She was ready to answer the second Vanessa asked, ready to gush on and on about the incredible experience. Except, Vanessa didn’t ask. In fact, she hardly talked. 

Vanessa picked her up around five on Saturday, greeting her with a soft “hey B”. The drive to Silky’s was short and quiet, not that Brooke minded. She’d had a headache all day, she just figured it was due to stress.

“You’ve met Silky,” Vanessa said, pointing to who Brooke recognized as one of her coworkers, “this here’s A’keria. She’s our mom.” Vanessa said the last bit with a sly smile on her face.

“Shut the fuck up, Vanj.” A’keria rolled her eyes.

“Vanj?” Brooke questioned.

“Short for Vanjie.” Vanessa said shortly, “nickname.” She shrugged.

The night traipsed on and Brooke was becoming increasingly stressed about her stance with Vanessa. She was just acting so weird.

Silky made them a really nice dinner of shrimp and pasta.

“I figured it was a good idea because Vanjie is pescitarian and she said you can have pasta as long as you keep the portions small.” Silky explained to Brooke, who’s heart warmed at Vanessa knowing her restrictions.

“I didn’t know you were pescitarian.” Brooke said softly to Vanessa, who just shrugged in response, looking uninterested.

Brooke’s had enough.

“Vanessa, what’s going on?” she demands.

“Nothing.” Vanessa replies and gets up to go to the kitchen to fill her drink.

Brooke stands abruptly, causing the blood to rush to her toes and she feels dizzy. After steadying herself with the chair, she walks off to follow Vanessa.

“Honestly, V, what’s going on?”

“I said nothing.”

“It doesn’t seem like nothing! Are you mad at me?” Brooke’s voice was soft and her face mimicked that of a wounded puppy.

“No, I’m not mad at you. Damnit Brooke, I wish I could be mad at you! I wish I could hate you!”

Tears formed in Vaenssa’s eyes, stinging and threatening to fall. At the same time, the dizziness was back. Brooke tried to focus on Vanessa, tried to ground herself, but darkness was threatening around her vision.

“Brooke! Are you listening to me?!” Vanessa’s voice was louder, and the tears were falling. Brooke tried to reach out to comfort her but her body felt like it was made of lead. The darkness consumed her and the last thing she saw was Vanessa’s scared face.

“Vanjie, sit down.” Silky said to her friend.

Vanessa was pacing. It was 11:43pm, Brooke had been in surgery for 3 hours, and Vanessa hadn’t even gotten so much as a  _ fuck you _ from the doctors. She didn’t know if Brooke was okay, didn’t know if she was even  _ going  _ to be okay, didn’t know if the last words Brooke would hear her say were  _ I wish I could hate you. _ Vanessa’s heart broke. So she paced.

“Vanj, baby, pacin’ like that ain’t gonna make them come out here no faster.”

Vanessa knew that. She didn’t care. She didn’t know what else to do. She needed to know something.

“Family for Hytes?” someone called from across the waiting room. 

Vanessa thought it was silly, they were the only ones in here, but she rushed over anyways. 

“I’m her wife.” she said in one breath.

“She’s lost a lot of blood. She had a mass near her heart that was causing internal bleeding. She’s lucky she got here when she did, otherwise she would be dead.”

“So she’s okay?” Relief started to fill her chest until she saw the doc’s expression.

“Not exactly, she’s still in surgery. They’re doing everything they can to make her stable.”

Vanessa nodded and tried to hold on to any positive energy she could. She thanked the doctor as he walked away and A’keria and Silky wrapped their friend up in a group hug.

Two more hours passed and Vanessa had passed out from exhaustion. She was laying on one of the couches by the window with her head in A’keria’s lap. 

“Family for Hytes?” the same doctor they spoke to earlier was walking towards them as A’keria nodded. 

“Ness,” A’keria said softly, nudging Vanessa’s shoulder, “wake up, baby, the doctor is back.”

Vanessa’s eyes fluttered open and she had a look of confusion on her face at first that slowly settled into realization and fear. 

“Your wife is stable.” the doctor said.

Vanessa let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding.

“She’s stable,” he said again, “but not out of the woods. She’s in bad shape, it’s hard to tell how long she had been bleeding, but it definitely had been going on for a bit. We’ve given her transfusions, and we took care of the mass. It caused quite a bit of damage, but we are hopeful that she will recover if she wakes up.”

“I’m sorry, you said  _ if  _ she wakes up?” Vanessa’s blood ran cold, “what do you mean  _ if _ ?”

“Well, with the amount of blood loss and the work that had to be done in surgery, there are chances that the trauma will be too much for her. We tried to wean her off of the ventilator but she’s just not ready yet.”

“What do you mean she ain’t ready yet?” None of this was making sense to Vanessa. 

“The human body is a complex thing, it has its own weird way of healing. If her body isn’t ready for her to wake up, then she won’t. This time right now is when patience is key.”

Vanessa nodded, trying to understand. 

“Can I see her?” 

The doctor nodded and led her up to the third floor to the ICU. The room was dimly lit, and the nurses were busy getting Brooke settled. Vanessa’s heart broke, her wife looked so small, so vulnerable.

“Are you her wife?” one of the nurses asked, she had a kind face.

Vanessa nodded. 

“I’m Asia and this is Monique. We are the night shift nurses assigned to your wife’s care.”

Vanessa nodded again, “can I stay here? With her?”

The nurses looked at each other and nodded, “don’t see why not, dear.”

“Vanjie, do you need anything?” Silky asked.

“No, I’m good.” She hugged both of her friends before they left. 

Vanessa set up camp next to Brooke’s bed, making sure she was within handholding distance. 

“Please, B, you gotta wake up.” she whispered, not taking her eyes off of the other girl’s face, “please, I love you.”

Brooke didn’t wake up that night. She didn’t wake up the next day, or the next night, and by day three, Vanessa was restless. She hadn’t left Brooke’s side, alternating between napping, writing, and watching tv. She had spoken with Ms. Visage who said she could take all the time she needed. Silky and A’keria visited everyday, it was a welcome distraction, but the minute they left, the room was sombre again. She just wanted Brooke to wake up. 

“B, please wake up, I need you.” Vanessa whispered every night before she fell asleep.

  
  


A five days came and went. Vanessa was exhausted. She hadn’t left the hospital, just in case her wife woke up. But she didn’t. Not until day six. 

Vanessa sat in the chair like she had for the last week, flipping through the channels trying to find something that wasn’t trash. She had made it a habit to glance over at Brooke every few minutes throughout the day. This time, when she did it though, Brooke’s eyes were open. She had to do a double take, making sure her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. They weren’t. Brooke’s eyes were open, looking back and forth, her head didn’t move. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she looked scared.

“Brooke, Brookie, it’s me, Vanessa.” Vanessa was suddenly in her line of vision, grabbing her hands and holding them.

Vanessa saw the relief in Brooke’s eyes when she saw her. 

“Hi Brooke, hi baby, you’re okay, you’re safe ok?” Vanessa pressed a kiss to Brooke’s head, “I’m gonna get you help, baby, it’s okay.”

Vanessa ran out to the nurses station where today’s nurses, Trinity and Manila, sat charting.

“Brooke! She’s- she’s awake!”

Both nurses stood and rushed to Brooke’s room where, sure enough, Brooke was awake with panic in her eyes.

“Brooke, my name is Trinity, I’m the nurse here. We are going to get that tube out, ok?”

Brooke nods, she’s been here before. Within minutes, Brooke’s doctor has showed up and has given them the ok to extubate. Brooke cried with relief when the tube was finally out of her throat and she was breathing 100% on her own. 

The nurses did their assessments and then left the wives to settle down.

“Nessa,” she croaked, her throat dry from the tube, “Nessa, I lo-”

“I love you, B, and I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for being such a bitch, and I’m sorry for the things I said.”

Brooke didn’t remember when Vanessa said, but she could see the pain in her eyes so she knew it was serious.

“I love you, Brooke and I wanna be with you for real. If that’s not what you want then that’s ok but I needed to say it. I know there’s a lotta buzz goin’ on right now but I just had to tell ya.”

“Ness, I love you. I’ve loved you for weeks. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know if you returned it and I didn’t want to mess anything up. I love you, Ness, of course I want to be with you for real.”

Both girls were crying, their emotions were a mess from everything that had just happened. Vanessa kissed Brooke’s forehead and said she was going to let her rest while she called Silky and A’keria. She was okay leaving her alone in here now, because she was alive, and she was  _ hers. _


	7. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One year later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well. This is it. Thank you everyone who has given me feedback and read this as i wrote it. You've been so kind. The credit for the idea for the epilogue goes to one of my favorute people, Lina. She can be found at vanjies_nipplecovers on Insta. Thank you baby for your feedback. Love you! And I love each and every one of you who has stuck this out.

Vanessa paced in front of the mirror. She was so nervous. Months of planning, months of stress, it had all led to this. She couldn’t believe the day was here. It had been a very long road and she didn’t think it would ever get here.

“Mija,” her mom startled her, “are you ready?”

Vanessa stopped and looked towards her mom. Tears filled her eyes as she rushed over and hugged her.

“Yeah, mama, I’m ready.”

Her mom kissed her forehead and held the door open for her. The next room held her girls, Silky and A’keria, both of which already had tears in their eyes.

“Listen, y’all gonna fuck up your makeup if you keep cryin’. Then ya gonna fuck up  _ my  _ makeup because you gonna make me cry. Stop!” Vanessa smiled.

“Mija, we are in a church!  _ ¡Cuida tu lenguaje!” _

Vanessa giggled at the scolding, “sorry mama.” 

“It’s time,” A’keria said, checking her watch, “you ready?”

Vanessa nodded and all together, they went out to the foyer of the church. She heard the music start as her mom pulled her to the side out of anyone’s line of vision. The doors open and butterflies flutter in Vanessa’s stomach. 

“See you down there, Vanj.” Silky whispered with a wink.

One after the other, Silky and A’keria made their way down the aisle. Then the doors closed again and it was her turn. She stood there, arm in her mama’s. She was nervous. They didn’t think this day would ever come, but here she was. The doors swung open again and her breath was taken away by the beauty at the end of the aisle. Brooke was right, Vanessa really did love her dress.

“Ready, mija?” her mom asked, just one more time. 

“Yeah, ma, I’m ready.”

~*~

_ Brooke decided she was going to propose to Vanessa. They had talked about having an actual wedding. They wanted the fairytale. Brooke knew her lady was a romantic and she was going to make it perfect for her.  _

_ Vanessa beat her to it though. She spent the whole day getting ready, she found a recipe for cookies that were safe for Brooke to eat, and she baked all afternoon. Her plan was for the decorations on the cookies. She would frost them to say " _ Will You Marry Me Again?"  _ and then set them on the counter for Brooke to see.  _

_ After her last surgery, Brooke was able to get a job. She worked at the library. It was low-stress and flexible, which is exactly what she needed.  _

_ "Ness?" Brooke called from the door.  _

Go time,  _ Vanessa thinks. _

_ "Hey Brookie," Vanessa bounds down the hall, stopping at the edge of the living room, "you good, B?"  _

_ Normally, Brooke looked tired, but tonight she looked exhausted.  _

_ "Nessa, it was a rough day," Brooke held her arms out, hinting for the smaller girl to settle in them, "I'm so tired." _

_ Vanessa always got concerned when Brooke was feeling more lethargic.  _

_ "Maybe we should call your doc tomorrow." _

_ Brooke nodded in agreement.  _

_ "What did you make, Ness? It smells good." _

_ "I, um, I baked cookies." _

_ "Oh." Disappointment rang through her voice.  _

_ "They're safe for you, baby. " Vanessa pressed a small kiss to Brooke's cheek, "why don't you go check them out?" _

_ Brooke's face lit up as she popped up from the couch and headed to the kitchen. Vanessa followed closely behind her, picking up the ring box from the table in the hallway in the process.  _

_ Brooke opened the container with the cookies in it, read the message, and her jaw dropped. She spun around, facing the love of her life who had dropped to one knee.  _

_ "Brooke Lynn Hytes, I know you're already my wife, but will you marry me again?" _

_ Tears clouded Brooke's eyes, "yes, yes Nessa I will." _

_ Vanessa replaced Brooke's simple band with the white gold diamond ring, and pulled her girl close for a kiss.  _

_ "I love you, B." _

_ "I love you most, V." _

_ ~*~ _

Vanessa looked absolutely radiant in her dress. Brooke always liked the way the other girl looked in white, the contrast perfect with her skin. She was glowing. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of these two ladies."

Brooke tried to follow the ceremony, but she couldn’t take her eyes off her wife. Judging by Vanessa's gaze, Brooke understood she felt the same way.

"Brooke, do you take Vanessa to be your wife? Do you promise to be true to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health? Will you love and honour her all the days of your life? If you agree to this, say 'I do'."

"I do, I absolutely do." Brooke had waited to say those words in front of everybody since they first fell in love. 

"Vanessa, do you take Brooke to be your wife? Do you promise to be true to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health? Will you love and honour her all the days of your life? If you agree to this, say 'I do'."

"You damn right I do!" Vanessa said, causing an eruption of laughter from everyone, including the officiant. 

"By the power vested in me, I pronounce you married, may you go far with this union. You may kiss your bride."

Vanessa leans in, lips inches from Brooke, and whispers "you still sure bout this, blondie?"

"You kidding me?" Brooke smiles and winks, "I want nothing else, Nessa, trust me, you had me at health insurance."


End file.
